Beginner

Suited for a wide range of uses, Level 1 Beginner telescopes are simple to operate and set up. Some initial assembly may be required. Very good optical and mechanical quality. Great for families, young people, and folks who don't want to mess with equipment but just want to take a look. Any of these scopes will show you countless lunar craters, Saturn's rings and a myriad of star clusters and nebulas! Referring to the manual is recommended.

If you're looking for an affordable gift to kick-start the curiosity of your child or grandchild, look no further! This telescope and accessory bundle is ideal for young backyard astronomers who are just starting to explore the wonders of the night sky. Not only does this inexpensive bundle include the popular Orion SpaceProbe 3 AZ Reflector Telescope, it also comes with essential accessories for beginners. The extra goodies included with the Starter Kit are ideal for beginning backyard astronomers. This value-packed telescope and accessory kit will make a great gift for any child interested in exploring starry skies. The SpaceProbe 3 telescope lets you explore the treasures of the night sky right from the comfort of your own backyard.

The petite SpaceProbe 3" AZ Reflector Telescope is a great choice for kids who are curious about space and the stars. The telescope's 3" aperture (or diameter) gathers a good amount of light from the night sky, for impressively bright and detailed views of celestial wonders. The rest of the family will want to join in the fun for great views of the Moon, bright planets, and star clusters seen through the SpaceProbe 3. Even though this telescope is great for kids, it's a full-fledged reflector telescope that will help foster a lifetime of appreciation for science and astronomy.

Outfitted with a great set of accessories, the SpaceProbe 3 AZ Reflector Telescope & Starter Kit comes with everything you need to enjoy great views of the night sky right out of the box. Let's take a closer look at all the value-packed astronomy accessories that you'll get with this beginner telescope:

Includes two quality telescope eyepieces: a 25mm Kellner eyepiece for 28x views and a 10mm Kellner eyepiece for higher magnification, 70x views.

Each Orion SpaceProbe 3 AZ Reflector includes two interchangeable 1.25" Explorer II telescope eyepieces, a 25mm and a 10mm, for two different magnification options right out of the box. The 25mm eyepiece will yield 28x power magnification in the SpaceProbe 3 while the 10mm eyepiece boosts the magnification up to 70x power for closer looks. These 1.25" barrel eyepieces are better and more versatile than smaller .965" eyepieces you might find with department store telescopes.

Following a simple alignment procedure that parents can help with, you can use the EZ Finder II sight to accurately aim the SpaceProbe 3 telescope at objects in the sky like the Moon and bright planets. Once aligned with the telescope, just turn on the EZ Finder II and peer through the sight's small circular viewing window so you see the red dot, and move the telescope until the red dot is on the object you want to see. Look in the telescope, and there it is!

The included Astronomy book is a wonderful introduction to enjoying the night sky.

This fun book is loaded with beautiful pictures and astounding educational facts about astronomy. The whole family will enjoy browsing pictures of objects in space and reading about interesting planets, stars, and more. This great introduction book to the hobby of astronomy is the perfect way to keep the kids interested during cloudy nights when the Moon and stars aren't visible.

The Orion MoonMap 260 makes it easy to learn about the Moon's craters, spacecraft landing sites, and more!

With locations and names of over 260 features on the Moon such as craters, mountains, valleys, "seas" and more, the Orion MoonMap 260 included with the Starter Kit is a great tool for beginning astronomers. It will even show you where various spacecraft have landed on the Moon's surface! The whole family will enjoy looking at the Moon with the SpaceProbe 3 Reflector, then discovering the names of the craters and other features you've seen in the telescope.

The Orion Star Target planisphere is a useful star chart wheel for any day of the year.

This circular star map lets you dial-in the month and day you're observing the sky, so you can see exactly which constellations and stars will be visible if skies are clear. Using the Orion Star Target is a great way for starters to plan their first stargazing sessions with the SpaceProbe 3, since you'll know just where to point the telescope!

Learn about the night sky with the included Starry Night Special Edition software

Budding backyard astronomers and families starting out in the hobby of stargazing can learn a ton of useful information with the FREE Special Edition Starry Night software that comes with the telescope. You can use the software to see what stars, constellations, planets, and other cosmic objects will be visible on any day and at any time. This makes it fun and easy to plan family stargazing sessions since you'll know ahead of time which objects will be visible. Requires PC running Windows XP, Vista, 7 or 8. Requires Macintosh running OS X 10.4 or higher.

The Orion SpaceProbe 3 Altazimuth Reflector Telescope comes with an altazimuth mount which allows simple up/down and left/right motion. The altazimuth mount is lightweight and easy to use for anyone in the family. (Like all reflector telescopes, the SpaceProbe 3 is not recommended for terrestrial viewing on land as the images will not be right-side up.)

This inexpensive reflector telescope will amaze you with revealing views of Saturn's picturesque rings, Jupiter's moons, and the beautifully cratered terrain of our own Moon's surface. Built around a 3" (76mm) diameter primary mirror, the Orion SpaceProbe 3 Reflector Telescope also gathers enough light to snare the faint glows of some very exotic star clusters and distant nebulas! The SpaceProbe 3's focal length of 700mm (f/9.2) provides sharp views of cosmic curiosities the whole family can enjoy.

Great for all-around astronomical observing, this highly portable, uncomplicated telescope is just the right size and weight for all family members and just the right price for parents. For the novice keen to discover what's "out there," the affordable Orion SpaceProbe 3 Altazimuth Reflector Telescope & Starter Kit is a great choice!

Warranty

Limited Warranty against defects in materials or workmanship for one year from date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. For complete warranty details contact us at 800-676-1343.

Warning

Please note the telescope in this product kit is compliant with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) and is intended for children 9 years of age and older.

User level

Level 1 Beginner - Suited for a wide range of uses, these telescopes are simple to operate and set up. Some initial assembly may be required. Very good optical and mechanical quality. Great for families, young people, and folks who don't want to mess with equipment but just want to take a look. Any of these scopes will show you countless lunar craters, Saturn's rings and a myriad of star clusters and nebulas! Referring to the manual is recommended.

Level 2 Intermediate - These scopes offer higher performance and more advanced features than Level 1: Beginner models. They typically take a bit longer to learn and need some set-up or adjustments. But anyone with the slightest technical bent will have no problem getting familiar with these models. Referring to the manual is recommended.

Level 3 Advanced - These scopes provide the best performance but may require more skill to master and appreciate. They have exceptionally fine optics and mechanics. Some are easy to use but are but on the large or heavy side. Some are intended for specialized uses. These scopes will appeal to the more technically inclined. Referring to the manual is highly recommended.

Level 4 Expert - Expert telescopes offer uncompromising optical and mechanical quality for the most demanding amateur astronomer. They may be technically involved or designed for specialized use, such as astrophotography or detailed deep sky observation. They carry a premium price, but are designed to provide the ultimate performance in the field. Referring to the manual is highly recommended.

Optical design

Reflector telescopes use a pair of large and small mirrors to direct incoming light to the eyepiece.
Refractor telescopes refract, or "bend" incoming light to a focus by means of an objective lens.
Cassegrain telescopes, such as Maksutov-Cassegrains, "fold" incoming light using two mirrors and a front "corrector" lens.

Optical diameter

For telescopes, the optical diameter (also known as aperture) is the size of a telescope's main light-collecting lens or primary mirror, measured in millimeters or inches. Telescopes with larger optical diameters collect more light, which leads to an increase in brightness and image resolution compared to smaller instruments.

For binoculars, the optical diameter (also known as objective lens diameter) is the size of each of the front-facing objective lenses of a binocular measured in millimeters. Binoculars with larger objective lenses collect more light, which increases image resolution and brightness. Binoculars with larger objective lenses are recommended for low light situations, and binoculars with at least 50mm or larger objective lenses are recommended for pleasing astronomical observations at night.

Focal length

The distance from the center of a curved mirror or lens at which parallel light rays converge to a single point. The focal length is an inherent specification of a mirror or lens and is one of the factors in determining resultant magnification for a telescope (along with the focal length of the eyepiece being used).

Focal ratio

The focal ratio of an optical system is the ratio of a telescope's focal length to its aperture. Short focal ratios (f/5, f/4.5) produce wide fields of view and small image scales, while long focal lengths produce narrower fields of views and larger image scales.

Optics type

Newtonian reflectors will have either a spherical shaped mirror, which is less expensive to produce, or a higher quality parabola, which does not result in spherical aberration. Cassegrain telescopes routinely use spheres in addition to other lenses in the optical path to correct for residual spherical aberration.
Refractors use a series of lenses to provide a clear image. Designs range from a standard air-spaced doublet (two lenses in a row) to exotic designs such as oil-spaced triplets and 4-element multi group lenses.

Glass material

Refractors use glass lenses to focus the light, and the glass material plays an important role in the quality of the resulting image. Standard achromatic refractors routinely use Crown and Flint for the two elements, but more expensive apochromatic refractors can use ED (extra low dispersion) glass for one or more of the lenses. Reflector mirrors are made from glass with different levels of thermal expansion. Standard mirrors are made from material such as Soda-Lime Plate glass and BK-7 glass. Glass with Pyrex or other low thermal expansion material will not change shape as dramatically during the cool-down period, resulting in more stable images during this period.

Resolving power

The theoretical resolving power of a telescope can be calculated with the following formula: Resolving power (in arc seconds) = 4.56 divided by aperture of telescope (in inches). In metric units, this is: Resolving power (in arc seconds) = 116 divided by aperture of telescope (in millimeters). Note that the formula is independent of the telescope type or model, and is based only upon the aperture of the telescope. So the larger the telescope's aperture, the more it is capable of resolving. This is important to keep in mind when observing astronomical objects which require high resolution for best viewing, such as planets and double stars. However, it is usually atmospheric seeing conditions (not the telescope) which limits the actual resolving power on a given night; rarely is resolution less than one arc-second possible from even the best viewing locations on Earth.

Lowest useful magnification

Lowest useful magnification is the power at which the exit pupil becomes 7mm in diameter. Powers below this can still be reached with the telescope to give wider fields of view, but the image no longer becomes brighter at a lower power. This is due to the fact that the exit pupil of the telescope (the beam of light exiting the eyepiece) is now larger than the average person's dark adapted pupil, and no more light can fit into the eye.

Highest useful magnification

The highest practical limit is different from the often used "highest theoretical magnification" specification. The "theoretical" limit generally is 50x the aperture of the scope in inches (2x the aperture in mm). So for example, an 80mm refractor is capable of 160x, and a 10" telescope is theoretically capable of 500x magnification.
But after approximately 300x, theory breaks down and real world problems take over. The atmosphere above us is constantly in motion, and it will distort the image seen through the telescope. This effect may not be noticeable at lower powers, but at higher powers the atmosphere will dramatically blur the object, reducing the quality of the image. On a good night (a night where the air above is steady and the stars aren't twinkling), the practical upper limit of a large telescope is 300x, even thought the theoretical limit may be much higher. This doesn't mean the scope will never be able to reach those higher "theoretical" powers - there will be that rare night where the atmosphere is perfectly still and the scope can be pushed past it's practical limit, but those nights will be few and far between.

Astro-imaging capability

The astro-photographic capability of the telescope is based on the style, stability, and accuracy of the mount and tripod. Telescopes on either very lightweight mounts or non tracking mounts (such as Dobsonians) are capable of only very short exposures such as lunar photographs. If a motor drive is attached to an equatorial mount, even a small lightweight mount is capable of capturing some planetary detail. Larger EQ mounts that utilize very precise tracking and excellent stability are capable of longer exposure deep-sky photography.

Computerized compatibility

Some mounts are compatible with a motorized Go-To system for fully automated computer finding of objects in the night sky. Others mounts are compatible with computer finding systems which require the user to manually move the mount to the object's position as indicated by the computer finder.

Warranty

This warranty gives you specific legal rights. It is not intended to remove or restrict your other legal rights under applicable local consumer law; your state or national statutory consumer rights governing the sale of consumer goods remain fully applicable.

Orders received by 1pm Eastern Time for in-stock items ship the same business day. Orders received after 1pm will ship the next business day. When an item is not in-stock we will ship it as soon as it becomes available. Typically in-stock items will ship first and backordered items will follow as soon as they are available. You have the option in check out to request that your order ship complete, if you'd prefer.

A per-item shipping charge (in addition to the standard shipping and handling charge) applies to this product due to its size and weight. This charge varies based on the shipping method.

Having trouble viewing details on the Moons surface? This neutral-density eyepiece filter reduces glare so you can see more detail and surface features. The 1.25" Orion 13% Transmission Moon Filter is especially useful with large aperture telescopes.

Would you like more contrast and less glare while viewing the moon and bright planets? The 1.25" Orion Variable Polarizing Telescope Filter reduces both and brings out details. And you can adjust the amount of light transmission for the perfect view.

Orion offers a rugged, fully padded case to fit just about every telescope we stock. Each case provides an easy way to transport and store your telescope. Heavy-duty and water-resistant material, and fits the StarBlast 4.5 EQ & SpaceProbe 3 Altaz.

A great tool for bringing out details in the planets and Moon is this 1.25" set of four Orion Color Telescope Filters. Each colored filter brings out different details in the planets allowing for a totally different view.

Orion Sirius Plossl eyepieces are ideal for any type of telescope, refractor, reflector, or catadioptic. They offer a 52° field with clean, high-contrast images. All air-to-glass surfaces are fully coated for improved light transmission.

If you are an avid astronomer you know that you should always use red light instead of white to help protet your night vision. The Orion RedBeam II LED Flashlight has adjustable brightness which lets you observe without ruining your night vision.

If you only get one book to go along with your new telescope, make sure it's Turn Left at Orion! The perfect companion guide, it includes maps to nearly 100 of the best objects, and drawings depicting what they will look like through your telescope.

At Orion, we are committed to sharing our knowledge and passion for astronomy and astrophotography with the amateur astronomy community. Visit the Orion Community Center for in-depth information on telescopes, binoculars, and astrophotography. You can find astrophotography "how to" tips and share your best astronomy pictures here. Submit astronomy articles, events, and reviews, and even become a featured Orion customer!